Plant lectins were discovered over one century ago [1]. Yet, very few know about them.
The first time I heard about lectins was about 12 years ago when I was studying nutrition in College. I’ve learned that many lectins, also known as anti-nutrients, cause inflammation and other toxic effects in the body, I also learned a few ways to decrease the lectin content (i.e. cooking, fermenting). Later, I came across Dr D’Adamo’s work and more recently I found Dr Gundry’s low lectin diet. His newly published book “The Plant Paradox” is filled with a lot of research and great information, based on scientific studies. I believe this diet can be adapted to everyone who has an autoimmune condition, including MS.
Dr Gundry has been successfully using his diet to treat tens of thousands of people with various conditions, ranging from autoimmune diseases (about 50% of his patients), degenerative conditions, leaky gut syndrome to diabetes and heart diseases. He has done extensive research, with over 300 articles published on peer reviews journals on using diet and supplements to eliminate diseases. 12. Bonus: this book includes a success story of Marcia, a young woman who was able to reverse MS symptoms by following Dr Gundry’s dietary plan. You can go straight to page 175 and read her story.
1. What are lectins? Basically, all organisms, plants, animals, bacteria and even we humans, have lectins. The focus of this book is on the bad lectins found in our diet. Some lectins are more harmful than others, and everyone will have different degrees of sensitivity to lectins. However, everyone with autoimmune disease should avoid high lectin foods. Once ingested, these anti-nutrients in lectin rich foods will bind to the sugar molecules in your body, causing toxic reactions, hormonal disruptions and inflammation.
Here is an example: lectins bind to the sugar molecule sialic acid, which is found in the gut, brain, between nerve endings, joints, blood vessels and bodily fluids. When lectins stick to these sugar molecules, they impair the normal communication between cells, causing symptoms like brain fog, infections, weight gain and many more.
2. About WGA. It is known for quite some time about the effects of WGA on our health. Less known is the fact that the most dangerous lectin is not gluten, but WGA (wheat germ agglutination) from wheat. WGA mimics the hormone insulin and has been linked in research studies with insulin resistance and weight gain. WGA affects protein metabolism, promotes inflammation, induces an autoimmune response, crosses blood brain barrier and causes neurological problems, interferes with the replication of DNA, contributes to the development of heart (arteriosclerosis) and kidney (nephritis) diseases, and makes us more susceptible to infections.
3. How the gut bacteria had been disrupted by agriculture revolution (adding beans and grains to our diet), the casein A1 in cow’s milk, the inclusion of foods from the “New Word” such as nightshade and squash family, pseudo-grains such as quinoa and amaranth, peanuts and cashews and the GMO foods (which have lectins inserted artificially to become more resistant to insects), antibiotics and other drugs, as well as chemicals. Remember that one of the most important roles of gut bacteria is to educate the immune system as to which substances are healthy and which are harmful to the body.
4. You may not be aware, but…. a food being organic food doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy, it may still contain high amounts of harmful lectins.
Gluten free products are even unhealthier than those with gluten because they are loaded with lectins, plus they contain transglutaminase (a compound that disrupts the brain’s neurotransmitters and makes you more sensitive to gluten). WGA is found in the bran, thus white wheat bread is healthier (contains gluten and no WGA) than whole bread (which contains both WGA and gluten).
When cows and other animals are fed with high lectin diet (like corn and soy), these lectins will end up in their meat and milk. Not only do these animals get sick, you get sick too.
5. The importance of gut micro biome, a great review of this topic. The gut bacteria are involved in digestion, elimination, overall gut health and hormones, they also work closely with the brain. The gut contains more neurons than the spinal cord, so it looks like the gut is our second brain.
6.Lectins, antibiotics, acid reducing drugs and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) all increase gut permeability (aka leaky gut syndrome). Multiple sclerosis and all other autoimmune diseases can be treated when the gut flora is improved and the leaky gut is healed.
7. A nice, extensive review of the major disruptors of our health, including broad spectrum antibiotics (from prescription drugs and meat), NSAIDs, stomach acid blockers, sleep aid meds, artificial sweeteners, hormone disruptors found in plastic, cosmetics, food preservatives i.e. tBHQ stimulates T cells, triclosan from hand sanitizers, soaps, deodorant, toothpaste, phthalates, non-stick cookware (with BTFE or PFOA), GMO foods and Herbicide Roundup, and artificial light (blue light).
8. How important it is to limit protein intake. Proteins, like sugar, will spike your insulin levels. Red meat and dairy (even the healthy dairy) contain a lectin binding sugar called Neu5Gc, which is linked with autoimmunity, cancer, and aging.
9. The benefits of resistant starches found in foods like plantains, yams and taro. Resistant starches do not work like sugars, they pass through the small intestine intact, feed the healthy bacteria in the gut, and get converted into acetate, propionate and butyrate which offer great alternative fuel to glucose for gut and brain cells). In addition, resistant starches make you feel full, and thus eat less, and help burn fat more efficiently.
10. The Paradox plant pyramid diet food list ( Dr. Gundry food pyramid): the base of the pyramid includes healthy oils (extra virgin olive, avocado, walnut, sesame and coconut oil), as well as greens, cruciferous and seaweed/sea vegetables.
The second pillar of the pyramid: nothing. Skip a meal to allow your bodies to process and digest the food.
Going toward the top of the pyramid, this diet recommends limited amounts per meal of nuts (such as walnuts, macadamia, coconut, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts), lectin free grains: millet and sorghum and resistant starches such as green bananas and plantains.
You can enjoy in moderation wild caught seafood and fish, eggs, pastured poultry and in season fruits. Small amounts of cow’s milk (with casein A2), goat, sheep and buffalo milk and dairy, as well as grass fed pasture raised meat and a glass of wine make the top of the pyramid.
Dr. Gundry foods to avoid : refined starchy foods like bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and flour, sugars like artificial and high carb natural sugars (i.e. honey, maple syrup), Soy and soy products (tofu, edamame, etc.), milk and dairy products with casein A1, most grains and pseudo-grains like quinoa and amaranth, some seeds, nuts (peanuts and cashews) and oils.
Dr. Gundry foods to avoid : refined starchy foods like bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and flour, sugars like artificial and high carb natural sugars (i.e. honey, maple syrup), Soy and soy products (tofu, edamame, etc.), milk and dairy products with casein A1, most grains and pseudo-grains like quinoa and amaranth, some seeds, nuts (peanuts and cashews) and oils.
11.This book also includes vegan/vegetarian options as well as a ketogenic version. In addition, the low lectin recipes will make your life easier by giving you ideas on what to eat.
Avoiding high lectin foods will yield better results than going gluten free (which helps only 30% of people [2] This diet has a very interesting twist and will likely see several variations of it in the future, as it gains more popularity. Since Atkins’s diet (low carb high-fat high protein diet), we moved to Paleo diet, then ketogenic diet (low carb, high fat, moderate protein). Google trends show that keto diet became recently more popular than paleo, so we will see more variations of keto diets as well. Although focused on avoiding lectins, Dr. Gundry’s diet is high fat (good fats), low-moderate protein and low carb ( low bad carbs and some good carbs ie resistant starches are included).
